BUFFALO, N.Y. – Stephanie Grossi couldn’t remember her game-winning goal. Allie Munroe couldn’t remember what happened either. All they remembered was the dog pile that proceeded Grossi taking a pass from Alysha Burriss and willing the puck past Penn State goalkeeper Celine Whitlinger.

Syracuse spent a lot of unwanted time hugging the ice earlier in the game. Players from both sides started falling over a lot more frequently during the first overtime, as the stakes of playing the high-intensity playoff game wore on them. By the third overtime, the players were bending over trying to catch their breath any chance that they had.

“I’ve never played in this long of a game before,” Munroe said. “I think I’ll be hitting the sheets a little early tonight.”

The College Hockey America semifinal game between Syracuse and Penn State started, as scheduled, at half past three. What wasn’t part of the plan was the game ending after seven o’clock.

Despite letting a lead slip in the third period, Syracuse (19-13-3, 14-4-2 CHA) rallied and extended its win streak to eight games as it outlasted Penn State (12-19-6, 9-6-1), 3-2, on Friday evening in a three-overtime thriller at the Harbor Center in Buffalo, New York. The 116 minutes 10 seconds of game time set the record the longest game in CHA Tournament history, breaking the previous mark of 108 minutes four seconds set by Lindenwood and Robert Morris in 2013.

After Friday’s win, the Orange will face Mercyhurst on Saturday for its first CHA Tournament win. SU’s played a lot of two-game weekend series, but not under these circumstances.

“Coach always says, when we play a weekend of two games, he always says ‘lets play for the whole 120 minutes,’” Munroe said. “Coming into this game I didn’t think we would literally play 120 minutes.”

For much of the game, Syracuse seemed like it wouldn’t need Grossi’s heroics. The Orange took a 2-0 lead into the third period, with Penn State struggling to generate much offense throughout most of the game. But two goals within the first six minutes tied the score and shifted momentum to the Nittany Lions, who continued to pressure SU for the rest of the period.

SU blitzed during the first overtime. The puck stayed by the PSU net for the first two-plus minutes of the frame, as Syracuse got off the first seven shots of the period. But Whitlinger stymied every Syracuse attempt.

“She’s a really good goalie, and she definitely makes big saves at big times,” Grossi said.

The Orange headed back to the locker room with a 15-4 shot advantage in the first overtime period, and a 41-28 edge overall, with nothing to show for it. And while Syracuse’s offense faltered, Penn State started to counter, getting off the first eight shots of the period.

At that point, players started tripping over each other and grabbing each other’s jerseys just to hold on. All the while, the referees did nothing. Flanagan has repeatedly complained about his team’s elevated penalty numbers during conference play, chalking it up to the CHA officials. But in this game, the last penalty was called with eight minutes to go in the third period.

“They let the players determine the game,” Flanagan said. “That’s all you can ask.”

As the game wore on, so did the tension and nerves on each sideline. Syracuse’s bench players, who are always instructed to sit in order to conserve energy even though other teams sometimes stand, started leaning over the boards every time a shot came close to breaking through Whitlinger’s grasp.

A game between Canisius and Niagara University, which was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., brought more fans to the arena, adding to the already mounting pressure of the game.

The fans came just in time to see Grossi’s, and Syracuse’s, breakthrough moment. Burriss skated down the right side and behind the goal. She stopped on a dime directly behind the net, skated back around and found Grossi open a few feet in front of the goal. Grossi then dipped down to one knee and shoveled in the shot past the stick side of Whitlinger.

After more than 100 minutes of stress and anguish, Syracuse finally managed to secure the victory. The team that was quiet and nervous at the start of the game was elated and vocal by the end of it.

Some Syracuse players couldn’t fully recall the moment that Grossi scored and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, the moment will temporarily lose its importance. But the game won’t leave their minds anytime soon.

“Whether it’s five years, 10 years from now, you’ll remember, yes, that we won. The kids will always remember that they played a three-overtime game at the Harbor Center,” Flanagan said. “It’s one of those games you don’t forget.”

Published on March 4, 2016 at 7:47 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer